New Hampshire Primary Brings Out Party Divides

As the 2016 primary season is shifting into gear, yesterday’s primary in New Hampshire seemed to flip the status quo upside down, demonstrating stark divisions within both the Republican and Democratic parties.

After being deemed a “loser” for coming in second place in Iowa, Donald Trump won the New Hampshire Republican primary with roughly 35% of the vote. And, after receiving major media endorsements from both The Boston Globe and The New York Times, Governor John Kasich came in second place with almost 16% of the vote. The winner of the Iowa caucus, Senator Ted Cruz, received 11.7% of the vote, and Jeb Bush received 11.1%. Senator Rubio, who had received positive media coverage for coming in third place in the Iowa caucus received 10.5% of the votes in New Hampshire, and did not receive any delegates.

After a tight race in the Iowa Caucus, the New Hampshire Democratic primary showed a deeper divide between the New Hampshire voters - Senator Bernie Sanders received an overwhelming 60% of the vote, and Secretary Hillary Clinton received a little over 38% of the vote.

Both the Republican and Democratic primary results show a stark divide amongst voters. On the Republican side, the two leading candidates demonstrate two different Republican parties - Donald Trump demonstrates an anti-immigrant, often xenophobic candidate, where Governor Kasich demonstrates a more “compassionate conservative” front. For the democrats, exit polls showed that Senator Sanders won big among both young voters and women. Seven in 10 women under 45 voted for Senator Sanders. Analysis suggests that Senator Sanders won the primary after convincing voters that he his more trustworthy and honest than his opponent.

Looking ahead, it is expected that both parties will face longer and more grueling primary contests than once anticipated. On the Democratic side, the focus will likely shift to minority outreach and gaining support of minority voters ahead of the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday. On the Republican side, expect more poor-performing candidates to reconsider their roles in the election.